Media democracy : How the media colonize politics
In his new book, Thomas Meyer argues that the media are transforming traditional party democracy into 'media democracy'. Political elites submit to the mass media's formulas in the hope of salvaging some influence over their public images. The media thus colonize politics, and the pol...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge, UK:
Polity Press ; Malden, MA : Blackwell,
c2002.
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| Summary: | In his new book, Thomas Meyer argues that the media are transforming traditional party democracy into 'media democracy'. Political elites submit to the mass media's formulas in the hope of salvaging some influence over their public images. The media thus colonize politics, and the politicians' self-interest turns them into accomplices. Politics and the media have formed a partnership to conduct their main business: adopting well-tested formulas from the theatre to media productions. The public begins to respond to politics as an aesthetic phenomenon, losing sight of the principles that make political action unique and sustain autonomy and democracy. Meyer argues that real power in the media is wielded by an iron triangle of media-savvy political elites, pollsters and media executives who are all committed to the media's logic of up-to-minute reportage. Media democracy has replaced deliberation - once the lifeblood of democratic public life - with pseudo-plebiscites. Nevertheless, deliberative procedures could regain some influence through local civic participation and a thorough reform of the communicative culture of the mass media. Meyer argues that the culture of the media should be transformed in ways that would serve democracy, enabling citizens to deepen their understanding of political realities. This powerful critique of media democracy will be of great interest to st |
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| Physical Description: | xvii, 166 p.. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 0745628443 (pbk.) |